Misplaced Misfits
by Stelra Etnae
Summary: Set some time after Marche went back to the real world. A few members of Clan Nutsy go on a mission and encounter a strange warping. But where does it lead to? Soon, they find themselves racing against time to save both worlds.
1. Prologue

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**_This story happens slightly after Marche and co. went back to the real world_****_._**

**_Edited: 16 Dec 2010_**

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Prologue

Several months after Marche left for his hometown, the members of Clan Nutsy were exceedingly bored. There hadn't been many interesting missions lately, just the odd dispatch mission and clan tournaments. They lounged listlessly in the common room of the Prancing Chocobo. Basil the blue mage yawned.

"We've got a mission, kupo!" announced Montblanc to the bored members of Clan Nutsy. "It's to collect a lava stone from Roda Volcano." When he failed to receive the desired response, he added, "Recent reports have indicated that a strange collection of strong monsters in the area, kupopo." The effect was immediate.

"Finally! Some action!" yelled Cecille, her rabbit ears twitching in excitement. Shouldering her bow and quiver of arrows, the sniper leapt out of her chair. "I'm in!"

"Count me in to!" said Elvos, the clan's ninja-cum-thief. Despite his status as a ninja, he favored the customary thief outfit. If asked, he would say that being underestimated can be advantageous. His friends however would tell you that he just liked the cape. After securing his bandana over his chocolate brown hair, he ruffled Cecille's violet hair. "Anyway, someone has to keep this girl out of trouble."

"Why you-" Cecille quivered indignantly. She swatted his hand away and made a face. The others laughed at the pair's antics.

"Don't forget me," Basil added, all notions of sleep gone. He perched his blue hat at a jaunty angle on his dark brown hair and smirked.

"I'll go as well." offered Etoile softly. She was the quieter viera in the clan, an elementalist. Her clothing was mostly green, and her hair was white with a slightly blue tinge to it.

"Alright, kupo! We'll head out for Roda. Stanz, can I leave you in charge?" said Montblanc.

The wise old nu mou white mage nodded. He was the oldest member of the clan. "Since Etoile can deal with the White Magic and healing, I'll stay behind to take care of things."

"Kupopo! Let's go!"

* * *

"Blizzara!" Montblanc cast the spell, defeating the last of the red flans. Nearby, Elvos and Basil were hacking at a couple of bombs. This set of enemies were proving to be quite a handful. A motion to his left caught Montblanc's attention.

"Hey, Montblanc, will this do?" asked Cecille, juggling a glowing red stone from hand to hand. "It's burning hot!"

"Kupo! Let's get back to Cyril. Clan Nutsy, mission complete!"

Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Caught by surprise, Elvos lost his balance and toppled onto the ground.

"What's going on!" yelled Elvos in shock, quickly getting back on his feet.

"Look over there, everyone!" Basil pointed to a black warp. The air rippled around it as if under high temperature. It was, in short, alarming.

"Kupopo! It's like the warps that we found near the crystals! But the crystals were destroyed, kupo! What's causing this?" gasped Montblanc.

"Maybe it's because the crystals anyway, or should I say, lack thereof?" said Etoile.

"It's Ifrit's curse!" Cecille shrieked.

"Shouldn't we be doing something rather than just staring at it?" questioned Elvos.

"..." They glanced at each other.

"One suggestion- RUN!" yelled Basil.

As one, they started sprinting, but it was too late. The black warp swelled and swallowed the five members of Clan Nutsy. And they were gone.

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	2. Going Nutsy

**_Edited: 16 Dec 2010_**

"Oh my head…" groaned Elvos. Last he remembered, he was in Roda Volcano. Now, he was lying facedown in snow. Wait. _Snow?_ Roda Volcano was, obviously, a _volcano._ Where did the _snow_ come from?

Elvos raised himself up from the ground. He looked around him in wonder. Snowflakes were falling slowly to the ground. People hurried to and fro on the street, no one pausing to look at the boy at the roadside. Strange. There weren't any bangaa, nu mou, viera or moogles. Only humans.

He brushed snow from his clothes, noticing for the first time that he wasn't wearing his normal thief outfit. Instead, he wore pants made of denim, a light green shirt, dark green jacket and green cap. His money pouch and two katana were missing from his waist. He felt a moment's panic, and quickly calmed himself down. None of the other people carried weapons, and he had a nagging feeling that they didn't use gil here…

Spotting a sign that said, 'Part-time shop assistant needed', he shrugged and started towards it. If he was to find out where he was and what to do, he might as well start now.

Piling the boxes on the shelf, Elvos listened to the shop owner's chatter. So far, he had concluded that he was in a town called St. Ivalice, that it was winter now, and that he should be in school.

"School?" wondered Elvos aloud.

"Don't tell me that ye haven't been to school before!" exclaimed Edward, the elderly shop owner.

Elvos shook his head dumbly.

"Don't your parents send you there?"

"They're gone." said Elvos quietly. His parents had died when he was barely more than a child. For many years, his fellow clan members had been his only family. He wondered where they were. Were they in St. Ivalice too? Or were they still in Ivalice. He remembered that Montblanc, Basil, Cecille and Etoile had been with him before he had woken up in the snow. The warp was undoubtedly the source of his predicament.

"I'm sorry." Edward looked at him kindly. "Say, how about you come to my house to stay? You can go to school in the morning and help around here in the afternoon." he suggested. He added hastily, "That is, unless you have some other family?"

"That'll be great, if you don't mind. It's better than sleeping on the streets, at any rate. Thank you."

"That's settled then. An old man like me likes some company beside oneself. And you can help my do some chores that I can't do with my poor back." He laughed heartily at his own personal joke.

* * *

Before he knew it, Monday had arrived. Trying his best to adapt, Elvos contrived to remember the unfamiliar names for various days of a sennight. As promised, Edward had registered him in the town's only school. The admittance was free of charge, and he took up a book loan. Now, Elvos faced his first day of school.

When he arrived, the classroom was almost empty. It was still early. Most of the students haven't reached school yet.

Elvos sat down on a desk that wasn't cluttered with the other student's books. He yawned and out his head in his arms. A little nap wouldn't hurt…

He awoke to the jeering voice of a boy. Raising his head up, he noted that the classroom was full. A few seats in front of him, a few boys surrounded a girl reading a book.

"Scared, whitey? Why aren't you saying anything? Or are you deaf and dumb, whitey." said the leader, a blonde boy with a sly face, unkindly. The others guffawed.

The girl, who had white hair that was slightly longer than shoulder-length (A/N: This is not Ritz), stiffened.

The boy continued his teasing. "You shouldn't keep reading, whitey. Maybe you should go make friends with the losers. Oh, but you already have."

The girl's hand tightened around an long piece of wood. A ruler, Elvos reminded himself. As he kept on talking, she suddenly shot out of her seat. Jabbing the ruler onto the boy's chest, she sent him stumbling backwards. Had the ruler been a weapon, it would have pierced right through, for it had been wielded as a fencer's rapier. That done, the girl settled back in her chair with a viera-like ease and continued reading.

In the time that the girl had turned, Elvos caught sight of a familiar face. Etoile. But she was a human? Her viera rabbit ears were missing from the top of her head, obviously. She wore a dark green sweater and a white skirt over green pants.

"This is what you get for crossing her." said the boy sitting in front of Etoile to the outraged boy on the floor. He wore a blue and white striped sweated and the same type of denim pants that Elvos wore. His black jacket was tied around his waist. He had tilted his chair onto two legs, grinning at the bully's ungraceful defeat. With a jolt, Elvos recognized the dark brown hair and confident air of the boy. It was his best friend Basil.

"You can't do that to me, and get away with it!" yelled the blonde boy. He looked like he was about to hit Etoile. Basil had been about to spring at him, but something whizzed through the air and struck the boy's right cheek. The boy spun angrily around.

"Leave her alone, Lyle, or else…" said an ominous voice next to Elvos. He saw Cecille lounging in her seat, holding a small bow. Or it looked like a bow, being made out of a curved stick and a long thick rubber band. Cecille was wearing black blouse with a silver grey jacket and the popular denim pants. Like Etoile, she had become fully human.

"Or else what?" goaded the boy, known as Lyle.

Cecille chose another pencil from a box and sent it whizzing at Lyle with practiced aim. It hit his left cheek.

"Why you…" Lyle, his eyes blazing, started towards Cecille.

_Oh no, you don't…_

"Aaaahhh!" Lyle suddenly fell down.

Elvos had stuck out a leg from under the table, tripping up the bully. He put his hands behind his head, lazily looking at the fallen boy. Tilting his chair backwards like Basil, he yawned in boredom.

"How dare you!" yelled Lyle, raising a fist to punch Elvos.

Luckily for Lyle, the teacher came in at that moment. Elvos had been prepared to teach the boy a lesson that he won't forget. "Lyle! Get back to your seat at once!"

Lyle sat down sulking, shooting venomous glares at Elvos.

* * *

It was the last period. Gym.

"Class, we'll be having a snowball fight today." announced the P.E. teacher, Mr. Leslaie.

Out of the corner of his eye, Elvos saw Lyle smirking evilly. 'Revenge' was spelled all over his face.

Once the class was out on the snow-covered field, Elvos was pounced on by his three old friends.

"Elvos! This is great! We're all together again!" Cecille cheered happily.

"Great to see you again, dude." Basil thumped him on the back. Elvos raised an eyebrow at the strange word. "It's local slang," Basil confided with a wink.

Etoile smiled at him. She wasn't one of many words.

"Cecille, Etoile. What happened to your ears?" asked Elvos curiously.

Cecille shrugged. "When I woke up in this world, I had human ears. But it isn't a big affair. You should see Montblanc!" she exclaimed, giggling at the memory. Basil started laughing and Etoile covered her mouth with a hand.

"Huh?"

"You haven't seen him yet, eh? He's with Marche and his friends." Basil looked around. "There he is now. Yo! Montblanc!"

A boy which blonde-brown hair that had been talking to Marche turned and started towards them.

"Elvos! Good to see you, kupo!" exclaimed the boy.

"Montblanc?" gasped Elvos incredulously. His little moogle friend was taller, furless, and most definitely not a moogle. But one could still see the resemblance. For one, his hair was the exact colour his fur used to be. The eyes were the same and so was the smile on his face. Montblanc was wearing a green long-sleeved shirt and black pants. A red scarf was tied around his neck. (the red colour is from his pompom)

"So all the clan members that were on the mission are found, eh?" Marche had walked over to them. "Hi, Elvos."

"Marche, the snowball fight's about to begin. Who's in?" called a girl with long white hair.

"How many do we need, Ritz?" asked Marche over his shoulder.

"Five."

"Ritz, Mewt, how about we sit this out and let our friends from afar have some fun?"

"Fine with me." The two shrugged and went to sit at the sidelines.

"Good luck!" yelled Marche, walking away.

"Now Elvos, a snowball fight is like an engagement, only we only use balls of snow as missiles. Got it?" explained Montblanc. "But the opposing team plays dirty. So watch out for rocks hidden in the snowballs."

"Begin!" Mr. Leslaie blew his whistle.

Snowballs flew everywhere. Elvos made a ball of snow and threw it. It fell short. He cursed. Theives weren't meant for long-distance attacking.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cecille firing missile after missile like a pro (well she is, being a sniper); Montblanc, Basil and Etoile weren't doing too bad (they were magic users, even though magic appears out of thin air but they needed aim. Theives deal with the direct bodily attacking.

Well, one could always learn… Elvos dodged another snowball and threw one of his own. Bull's-eye! It hit Lyle right in the face! Maybe he could contemplate taking up archery when he got back to Ivalice.

A snowball was heading towards him. Dodging out of the way, he found that yet another ball was whizzing at him. Trying to dodge multiple balls, one finally hit its mark. The snowball banged into his forehead, knocking him over. Feeling rather dizzy, he sat up, to see Cecille rushing over. She started dabbing at his forehead with a handkerchief.

"You're forehead's bleeding," she said as he protested. "It was a rock in that snowball. Mr. Leslaie is putting those creeps on detention."

"Are you alright?" asked Montblanc.

"Fine. I've had more than a cut in my forehead before." I waved aside their worry. "By the way, you guys have any idea how we got here, and the way to get back?"

"Well, we won't have to defeat totemas, that's for sure." said Basil.

"I think the Gran Grimore should work as a portal." said Marche thoughtfully. "How about let's all go to Mewt's house and see?"

"Dad won't be home, so I guess we'll just go to my room." said Mewt.

"Let's go then!"

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	3. The lonely Swain

_**Edited: 16 Dec 2010**_

Babus Swain, once the personal attendant to Prince Mewt of Ivalice, was wandering around Delia Dunes miserably. For none of the others had taken such a blow when Queen Remedi had mysteriously vanished and Prince Mewt and Judgemaster Cid had returned to their own world. Poor Babus was depressed.

What he was doing in Delia Dunes no one knew, not even Babus himself. Perhaps his loyalty towards his prince had drawn him there. A black warp opened up and swallowed him whole before he could even move. And suddenly, he was no longer there.

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Babus awoke with a throbbing headache. He glanced around at his unfamiliar surroundings bemusedly. He was lying on a sofa in an unlit room. One look through the window showed that it was snowing heavily outside.

Sitting up, he rubbed his aching head with one hand. Something was definitely wrong. For one thing, the last he remembered, he was in Delia Dunes. Secondly, the fur on his head felt rougher. And most importantly, he felt decidedly strange.

Babus stood up rather uncertainly, and fell down almost at once. His body proportions were unfamiliar, which alarmed him. Stumbling to a mirror hanging on the wall, he stared at the reflection shown.

Instead of a nu mou with pure white fur, the reflection in the mirror was one of a human youth. Silver white hair with sideburns, blue eyes, and wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt with white collar and sleeves, white pants, grey shoes, and an orange jacket tied around his waist.

Babus stared. And stared. And _stared. _And then he fainted.

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When he woke up again, the room was dark as before, but the sound of a key turning in the lock of the front door and chatter of a group of humans indicated that the people living here had come back.

He was frozen to the spot. A group of teenagers walked into the room and stopped in surprise. They all stood there gaping at him. He stared back at them in very much the same manner.

A boy with mousy brown hair found his voice first. "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?"

Babus could hardly believe his eyes. It couldn't be... "Prince Mewt!" he gasped. Was he hallucinating? "Is that really you?"

At his words, everyone blinked. Surprised, they looked at him intently.

"It's rude to stare, you know," Babus said stiffly, uncomfortable with the attention he was getting. He was ignored.

"Hey, don't you think that this guy looks rather familiar?" commented a boy with chocolate brown hair.

"Rather. I can't put my finger on it…"

"Someone from back home?"

"Now that you mentioned it, he doesn't he look rather like a nu mou?"

"And he knows Mewt..." Inspiration dawned.

The group traded looks, stared at Babus a little more, and gasped incredulously. "BABUS?"

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	4. Shining Shara

_**Edited: 16 Dec 2010**_

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Shara stood on a rock, staring down at Ulei River. A light breeze ruffled her cropped white hair. She started walking towards the river, her senses alert for the slightest disturbance.

A movement to her left told her that something was not quite right. Whirling around, she cocked her bow, pointing an arrow at the direction of the movement. Nothing. Warily, she edged closer to the spot. A black warp appeared suddenly and vanished just as quickly as it had come. Shara froze, startled. The warp appeared again, covering her in darkness…

Blinking, the world around her slowly came into focus. She was standing in a snow-covered park, leaning against a tree. Snowflakes swirled all around her, and the entire area was misty, making the people walking along the streets rather out of focus.

'Where am I?' she wondered, running one hand through her hair. She felt strangely light-headed. Suddenly, she froze. Raking her fingers over her head, she found nothing but the softness of her short snowy hair.

Looking down, she realized that she was wearing a shirt with resembled the top she usually wore, only that it was long-sleeved and covered her waist. That was good as the weather was much colder than she was used to. Her favored green skirt with its orange sash was worn over brown leggings, and her black and white shoes remained the same. But the greatest change was the startling fact that she was no longer a Viera, but a human.

Well, that was that, so the best thing to do in a situation as peculiar as this was to figure out how she managed to land herself into this circumstance. And the first thing to find out was where in Ivalice she was. Or whether she was still in Ivalice at all.

Shara walked into the first building she found. "Excuse me, but may I know what town this is? I'm not from these parts."

"This is St. Ivalice," the girl behind the counter told her.

"Thanks." Shara's head was spinning slightly again. The name was almost the same as the place she came from. And it was strangely familiar as well...

CRASH! She knocked into someone on her way out, causing the person to drop the documents he was holding.

"I'm sorry! I was thinking about something and didn't see you," gasped Shara, cursing herself for her inattentiveness. Had she been in Ivalice, an enemy could have easily killed her.

"Don't worry, no harm done," said the man cheerfully, picking up what Shara now realized were sketches. He looked her up and down. "Say, how would you like to do some modeling for our company? In case you didn't know, this is the office building of the fashion magazine 'Starz'. We're starting a winter set, and your complexion will offset the clothes fabulously! So how about it?"

Shara blinked at his enthusiasm. "Sure..." she said, still trying to take in the information. There were a few unfamiliar words as well...

"Great! My name is Jean, and it'll be nice working with you."

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	5. And so we plot

**_It is a miracle! I have updated! XD_**

**_Seriously, I suddenly developed the inspiration and motivation to continue this story... and I shall see it through to the end! Alright! On to the chapter! Enjoy, and don't forget to review!_**

**

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Chapter 4: And so we plot**

After a few moments of catching up, they settled down to business.

"As good it is to see you again, we have to send you back," said Marche. He turned to his friend. "Mewt, the Grimoire?"

"I've got it." Mewt went to his room and returned with a thick, ornate book. It looked very old.

"So this is the book that brought you to our world?" asked Cecille curiously, peering at it over Elvos' shoulder. "Doesn't look like much."

"Arcane objects usually can conceal their real worth." Montblanc passed a hand over the book, careful not to touch the cover lest he accidentally trigger its ability before time. "It reeks of Ivalician magick."

"Yes," said Mewt with a smile. "However, we'll have to hope that it still works. The magic that I can sense from it has significantly decreased since we returned."

"Excuse me for interrupting, my prince. But I believe that this will not be solved so easily," said Babus suddenly. His expression was serious.

The three real world teenagers looked surprised. "How so?"

"I too feel that this problem is way more complicated than it seems," admitted Montblanc. "Lord Swain, where did you encounter the warp?"

Babus looked unsurprised at his question. "I was walking in Delia."

Montblanc's expression darkened. "It is as I suspected. The places where the crystals used to exist are becoming unsafe. Even if you send us back, I fear that the same thing may happen again, this time perhaps involving some less understanding characters."

"At best, we now have five portals leading to the 'real world', as you call it. At worse..." Babus regarded them seriously, "The two worlds may collide and start overlapping. The consequences can be quite horrific."

The group traded worried looks. "What course of action do you suggest?" asked Marche.

"I would like to investigate the areas where the warps appear," said Montblanc. "If possible, I will close the portals. I will require help, however. Of Clan Nutsy, only Stanz, Etoile and I are proficient in magic. Can the Palace aid in this endeavor?" he asked Babus.

"I will present this issue in court," stated Babus. "I believe that they will agree once I inform them of the prospective peril."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Mewt.

"At present, we have little idea what exactly we are dealing with. All I can ask is for you to keep an eye out for unusual happenings in your world," said Babus.

"That said, we had best return with speed."

"Alright." Mewt placed the Gran Grimoire on the table. "I'm not sure about how this will work, but it's currently our best bet."

"Keep safe, Prince Mewt. I am thankful to be able to meet you today."

Mewt smiled at his loyal companion. "I'm glad to see you as well, Babus. Have a safe journey."

"At my count to three, place a hand on the cover of the book," Montblanc instructed. "One... Two... Three!"

As one, the Ivalicians touched the book.

One moment, they were there. The next moment, they were still there.

"..."

Sighing, they removed their hands. "Well, looks like that failed."

Without warning, the book suddenly flipped open, startling them. As they watched with surprised eyes, words appeared on the previously blank page, as though written by an unseen hand.

_Lost_

_The saviors enter a world not their own_

_But which is reality and which is a dream?_

_Aided not_

_Nothing will be clear_

_Just as there is no distinct line between light and dark_

_Make your decision wisely_

_For it is not weightless_

_Is it better to forget or be forgotten?_

"Sounds ominous," Basil finally managed after a few moments of stunned silence. The others nodded dumbly.

"I'm keeping a copy of it." Ritz had a notepad in hand and was scribbling on it.

"That's a good idea." Marche asked for a piece of paper from Mewt to do the same. It was best if they each had a copy made. The Grimoire was always unpredictable, so it was advisable to keep back-up.

When he finished, Marche rose. "It's getting pretty late. I have to be home before dinner."

Ritz echoed his sentiments.

Mewt nodded. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Where are you staying?" Elvos asked his fellow clan members.

"Montblanc and Basil are with Marche. Etoile and I will go to Ritz's home," said Cecille.

"Elvos, I suppose you'll be going with me?" asked Marche.

"Actually, I found a job at a store and the store keeper was nice enough to let me stay," Elvos clarified.

"Resourceful as ever, aren't you? See you tomorrow, then," said Marche. The group exchanged goodbyes before parting ways.

Finally, Mewt was left alone with Babus. "I'll get the spare room ready for you."

Babus was obviously horrified at the idea of his beloved prince doing something for him. "There is no need to trouble yourself, your highness!"

Mewt waved off his protest. "Nonsense. You're a guest. And it's the least I can do after all that you have done for me."

Babus was still uncomfortable. "But, my prince..."

"I'm no longer royalty, Babus," said Mewt. "Especially in this world."

Babus looked ready to have a heart attack. "You will always be my prince, Prince Mewt."

"We're going nowhere with this argument. You can help if you want, Babus." With that, Mewt turned to go upstairs. Babus quickly followed.

Just as they finished changing the bed sheets to fresh ones, they noted the sound of the front door opening below. Mewt bounded downstairs. "Dad! Guess who came to visit!"

Cid looked up with a grin, happy to see his son so animated. His expression turned to one of surprise as he spotted Babus.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Babus swept Cid a deep bow. "I am honored to be again in your presence, Judgemaster."

Cid stared at him for a moment, and almost dropped his workbag as comprehension dawned. "Babus?"

* * *

A few hours later, the phone rang in the Radiuju household. Marche picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Marche, it's Ritz. You know that my mother works as an editor for a fashion magazine, right?"

"Yeah..." said Marche, wondering what his friend was getting at.

"You won't believe who the newest model is."

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	6. Flan is hazardous in excess

**_See, here's the next chapter! ^_^ Hope you enjoy reading it!_**

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**Chapter 5: Flan is hazardous in excess**

The next afternoon after school saw a group of teens clustered in front of the 'Starz' fashion magazine's main office building.

"So, how exactly are we going to meet her?" They stared up at the imposing structure. They had tried to enter previously, but only got as far as the receptionist. The lady was kind, but adamant that no one without a valid appointment could enter the upper floor where the offices were located. Disappointed, the group had exited the building.

"Time for Plan B." Ritz fished out her handphone from her coat pocket and dialed a number.

"We have a Plan B?" the other looked at her quizzically. Ritz put a finger in front of her mouth to silence them as the call connected.

"Mummy, it's Ritz! I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, but can you help me with something?" Ritz started to explain their predicament. "About the model you told me about yesterday, I really would like to meet her. My friends and I were wondering if we could bring her around St. Ivalice, since she's not from these parts." Ritz paused for a while, listening to her mother's words. "Alright, thank you so much! Bye!"

She turned to her companions with a grin. "Shara's in the middle of a photo shoot now, but my mother says that she'll be finishing in half an hour. My mother will tell her about my offer."

"Great!"

"Since we have some time, why don't we go for some hot chocolate?" suggested Mewt. Everyone agreed readily. It would be good to get out of the chilly wind. They hastened to a nearby cafe.

* * *

"What is our next course of action?" asked Elvos as they enjoyed the hot chocolate and a plate of freshly-baked cookies. "The problem isn't going to solve itself."

"I think it'll be best if we try the Gran Grimoire again," said Babus pensively. "Perhaps the book has more to tell."

"Assuming that the passage shown in the Grimoire yesterday was a prophecy, we're going to require some help to set our priorities straight," commented Montblanc. "But where will we find that aid?"

The others shrugged, baffled. They fell into silence as they thought over this situation. The food slowly disappeared. Suddenly, Cecille jerked up in her chair. Everyone's eyes swiveled in her direction.

"Guys..." she stared out of the front window. "I think I just saw a Flan."

Immediately, they stood in alarm. Ignoring the other customers who were staring at them, Clan Nutsy dashed out of the cafe. The others were quick on their tail, with Ritz pausing for a while to settle the bill.

Sure enough, an Ivalician Flan was making its way along the pavement. It was lucky that not many people were out in the street on this cold day. It had begun snowing as well, so the Flan was covered in a layer of snow. The monster turned into an alley, followed by the members of Clan Nutsy.

To their utmost horror, a group of monsters were moving around the narrow backstreet. Without proper weapons, this was going to be a tough fight. Cecille extracted her makeshift bow from her bag, along with a supply of sharpened pencils. Etoile also held her long ruler in hand. Basil and Elvos had to make do with their fists. They were soon joined by the others, likewise with no weapons.

"This is going nowhere!" complained Basil as he stamped irately on a Cream.

Elvos narrowly dodged a stab from a Tonberry. With a swipe of his leg, he sent it to the ground. "We need some actual weapons!" he muttered, wrestling the knife out of the Tonberry's hand and stabbing it.

"Be careful, everyone! I wouldn't advise getting hit at all! We don't have White Magic here!" reminded Marche.

"Oh, crap." Realization dawned. Things were worse than they had previously thought.

At least the competition was somewhat balanced out when Elvos acquired a weapon.

The mages were wisely keeping out of the main battle after they realized that they were out of their depth without their magic. However, a Malboro noticed them and started towards the group. Babus immediately slipped between Mewt and the approaching monster. He brandished a wooden stick that he had found on the ground. It was nowhere as useful as his mace, but he would have to make do with it. Nothing would harm Prince Mewt as long as he had any say about the matter.

Sensing easy targets, an Iceflan approached them from their left. Babus had his hands full with the Malboro. He looked around, but all the others were occupied with their own opponents. Mewt and Montblanc started the Iceflan with the only available ammunition, which were unfortunately snowballs. It had little effect.

Suddenly, a stone whizzed through the air and struck the soft body of the Flan. Several more followed it until it finally collapsed.

With the additional ally, the battle progressed smoothly after that. Finally, they defeated all the monsters. With a sigh, the tired group slumped against the wall to recover their strength.

"What are we going to do with those?" asked Cecille, indicating the fallen monsters taking up a large portion of the area. There was barely any free space.

As if in answer to her question, the monsters dissolved into light particles. When the light faded, the monsters had all vanished.

"Yeah, the previous batch I encountered did that too," a voice commented from the opening of the alley. They jumped in surprise and looked over.

"Shara!" exclaimed Ritz, running over to hug her.

Shara smiled. "It's been a while, Ritz. I missed you."

"You've seen more monsters around this area?" questioned Montblanc as the information sank in.

Shara nodded. "Just two Grenades. It was just yesterday."

"This is worse that I expected," he said in a worried tone. "Now, even monsters are coming to this world. We have to find a solution fast."

The others nodded. As they left the alley, they couldn't help but glance back at the now empty ground. If they had been defeated, would they have vanished like that? It was a sobering thought.

* * *

**_Review please!_**

**_Merry Christmas!_**


	7. To be undead or not to be undead

**_See? I'm updating at a pretty steady rate now. According to my plans, there will be two more chapters after this. It's finally nearing its end!_**

**_Until then, I hope that you enjoy this chapter!_****  


* * *

Chapter 6: To be undead or not to be undead**

The next few days were uneventful, which just made everyone even more on edge. It felt like the calm before the storm.

"When is something going to happen?" groaned Basil as they headed towards the gates after another boring day at school. "Our reflexes are so going to pot."

Nearing the gates, they spotted a familiar figure leaning against the wall. Shara waved at them. "So, what's the latest?" she asked.

"Nothing. Basil here was just complaining about the lack of action," said Cecille as they reached Shara's side.

They were about to leave the school grounds when a motion caught their attention. Marche ducked just in time to dodge a swipe aim at his head. "What the hell, Lyle? Leave us alone!"

Lyle ignored his words and prepared to attack again. Nearby, Colin and Guinness had also arrived to join the fight. This was going too far, even for them.

They glanced at Basil, conscious of the irony. "You were saying?" asked Elvos dryly. Basil shrugged.

"Their eyes..." said Etoile in a concerned tone. She had noticed something that the others had overlooked. "They are not in their right minds."

Everyone looked closely at the three bullies. Sure enough, their eyes were listless and held no emotion.

"Are they possessed?" wondered Ritz in horror, jumping out of the way of Colin's fist. "What's going on?"

"No," Montblanc said. "I think that they are undead. At least, that is what is in their minds, even through their bodies have not degenerated."

"Crap! Are the worlds overlapping already?" exclaimed Marche while attempting to knock Lyle out without hurting him too much.

"What do you mean?" asked Mewt. He tripped Guinness up. Well, their reflexes were definitely as slow as zombies. They shouldn't pose too much of a problem.

"Clan Nutsy encountered these three in Ivalice. They had been turned into undead when the Gran Grimoire brought us to Ivalice," Marche explained.

"...And now that they are showing signs of becoming what they were in Ivalice..." Ritz turned pale. "This is very bad."

"At this rate, the worlds will soon overlap completely. There will only be one world... And chaos will undoubtedly erupt." Montblanc was dead serious. "Monsters will be the least of our problems then."

"But first, how are we going to deal with them? They just keep getting up!" asked Basil.

"We can't even hurt them too much, since this is the real world," reminded Marche.

On the sidelines, Elvos was grappling with Colin. "You just swallow it already!" he said through gritted teeth. He was forcing something into the other boy's mouth. One moment later, Colin fainted.

Everyone paused to stare at him. "What did you do?" asked Montblanc, looking rather worriedly at the prone figure on the ground.

Elvos tossed a bottle to Cecille and she caught it nimbly. She passed it to Basil who fed Lyle with its contents. It worked like a dream.

"Edward, the shopkeeper I'm staying with, gave them to me." Elvos shrugged. "He called them vitamins."

* * *

"Do you think that magic now works in this world?" wondered Mewt after they had dumped the trio in a place where they won't freeze to death.

"I think it's worth a try. Montblanc?" Marche looked at his friend.

The Black Mage pointed towards the snow-covered pavement. "Fira." A little bit of snow evaporated.

"...Well, the power might not be much, but it looks like it works now," said Shara.

"Is that a good or bad thing?" No one could answer that.

"I've been thinking that channeling magic into the Gran Grimoire may activate it," said Babus.

Mewt nodded. "Let's go try it out, then."

* * *

Once again, they stood in a circle looked at the ancient book. This time, however, they had a plan.

"Lord Swain, Etoile and I will be channel magic into the grimoire. You non-magic users, I suppose, can try to focus your will to it. It's all in the mind," Montblanc told them. Everyone nodded.

Marche, Mewt and Ritz stood to one side as the Ivalicians placed their hands on the Gran Grimoire.

"On my count of three. One... Two... Three!"

There was a blinding flash of light, and the room stood empty.

* * *

"Oof!" said Montblanc as the air was squashed out of him. He had unfortunately been subjected to the bottom of the pile.

"What happened?" asked Marche. Montblanc blinked, as he tried futilely to look at the people currently crushing him. Why was Marche here? Further question showed that Ritz and Mewt had come along for the ride as well.

"Could you get off me, please?" he said, half-suffocating. Immediately, everyone scattered, leaving him to breathe heavily on the ground. Recovering, he sat up. "What went wrong?" he asked, staring at the three 'real world' people.

"I think that things are worse than we initially thought," commented Elvos. "This isn't Ivalice."

Dazed, everyone finally took in the well-maintained lawn, the Japanese-styled porch and the strange house that they were next to. Indeed, it wasn't Ivalice.

* * *

**_Please review! _**

**_I'm doing a crossover for the next chapter only, but I'll do my best to make sure everyone will understand it. I wonder if you can guess which anime I'm doing the crossover with? ^_^_**


	8. There is only destiny

_**I'm really sorry about the late update! With school reopening, I suddenly became way busy. Sorry! (bows)**_

_**We are nearing the end of the story! I hope that you'll find this chapter satisfactory. Read, enjoy and don't forget to review!**_

* * *

"Where are we?" The group stared at the unfamiliar building.

Suddenly, the sliding doors leading to the porch opened and revealed two young girls standing there. "Welcome," they said together, each of them standing to one side of the door. One had long blue hair tied in two ponytails and the other sported a short light pink bob.

The group gaped at them. Even with all the adventures that they had gone through, this was beyond weird. They stared at the girls. The girls stayed in place, looking like twin porcelain dolls. Time seemed to freeze. A cricket chirped.

Suddenly, movement returned as the girl ran towards them, hand-in hand. "Guests, guests!" they chorused, dancing happily around the mystified teens. "Guests for the master!"

"Eh?" Before they recovered, they had been ushered into the living room by the pair of giggling girls.

The living room was Oriental-styled and the smell of incense filled the air. A lady reclined on an ornate chair, looking at them with a knowing smirk. A clay pipe was held in her hand, emitting scented smoke. Her Japanese kimono was worn loosely, the skirt parting slightly to reveal long pale legs.

"You have a wish," she said. It was not a question, it was a statement. Her eyes stared at them piercingly. "I can fulfill it. For a price, of course."

"Wha-?"

"You're scaring them, Yuuko-san!" A youth several years older than them interrupted from where he was setting drinks on a side table.

"You ruined the atmosphere, Watanuki," the woman complained, pouting. 'Watanuki' ignored her.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Ritz finally ventured to ask the question that was on everyone's mind.

"My name is Ichihara Yuuko," said the woman. Watanuki muttered something inaudibly. "But it's a fake name, naturally," she continued nonchalantly. They sweatdropped. "I'm also known as the Witch of Dimensions, the wish granter."

"Like the Li Grim of Ivalice."

"There are some differences, but the overall concept is the same."

"You said that we have a wish that you can fulfill."

"What is the price?" Babus cut in, his expression wary.

"That would depend on the wish. What do you want?" answered Yuuko. Her lips were curved in a knowing smile.

"Wait," Shara interrupted before anyone could respond. "Here we were wondering what to do about the current crisis we're facing, and the next we know, there's someone offering to help us. Don't you think this is a little fishy?"

"It does seem rather too coincidental…" admitted Cecille. Everyone glanced at Yuuko.

Yuuko smirked. "There is no coincidence in the world, there is only destiny." She lazily took a puff on the pipe. "Your desire for an answer brought you here."

Montblanc sighed, "We don't have much of a choice, it seems. I suggest we hear what Ichihara-san has to say."

"What is your wish?"

"We want the two worlds to return to their original state."

Yuuko pondered that. "I know about your worlds. Two worlds intertwined, their fates interrelated. The world of dreams and the world of reality. Recently, they have become unstable, have they not?"

"_But which is reality and which is a dream?_" Mewt quoted softly.

Yuuko nodded. "That seems to be the problem." She rose gracefully. "I can aid you, as long as the price is paid." She moved towards Mewt. "May I see the Gran Grimoire?"

Mewt handed it to her without a word. No one questioned how she knew about it. The Witch of the Dimensions was one shrouded in mystery.

"Yes, I can see how this problem can be solved. Mokona!" she called over her shoulder.

A small black bunny-like creature bounced into the room. "I've found what you told me to find!" It was balancing a small box on its head.

Yuuko accepted the box and opened it. Faint tendrils of smoke clung to it as she held it in her hands. "I believe everything is in order."

Meanwhile, several of her customers were looking at the strange creature curiously. At closer inspection, they could see an earring attached to one of its floppy ears which hung down both sides of its head. In fact, it looked surprising like-

"Are you a Nu Mou?" Basil ventured to ask.

The creature looked highly affronted. "I'm Mokona!" it clarified.

"What is a Mokona?"

"Mokona is Mokona!" Needless to say, they were confused.

"Are there more Mokona?" asked Cecille, patting Mokona on its head.

"There are only two of us! White Mokona is my twin brother!"

They stared at Mokona, envisioning what he would look like white. As one, they turned towards Babus.

"You reckon?" said Basil.

"Definitely," Elvos affirmed.

"They're probably related," they concluded.

Alright, let us return to the main plotline…

"What is the solution?" asked Marche impatiently as Yuuko simply closed the box and sat down on the settee again.

"To forget or to be forgotten…" murmured Yuuko cryptically.

The ones who heard shivered, remembering the passage they had found in the Gran Grimoire. No matter the circumstance, it held a foreboding air.

"Tell me, what is the root of the problem?" Yuuko directed this question at them.

"I expected you to know already," Babus said suspiciously.

"Ah, but you must realize it for yourself before the answer can be presented to you."

"Putting the pieces together, it would seem that its cause would be the lack of the Totema's crystals to bind our world in place," Montblanc answered after some thought.

"Can you somehow recreate the crystals?" asked Ritz.

"To make something from scratch would require a high price, especially in the case of powerful arcane items such as the world crystals," said Yuuko. "I'm afraid that you will not be able to pay the price necessary for this."

"So what can we do?"

"The balance of the worlds lies at risk. This is a heavy wish, either way. The path of least resistance would be to prevent the crystals from being destroyed."

"But the crystals are already gone!"

"That is where these items," Yuuko indicated the Gran Grimoire and the box, "come into play."

"How-?" She had the full attention of everyone in the room.

"Whenever people from one world enter the other, a Gran Grimoire records the happenings within its pages as it occurs. Such is the power of the grimoire, that if someone were to tamper with it, the entire history of the world can be changed. Therefore, a Gran Grimoire cannot be destroyed, nor can its contents be erased. Thus the history of the two worlds remains intact.

"However, with this," Yuuko finally revealed the contents of the box. It held a long slim brush, commonly used for calligraphy. But this was different from any brush they had seen before. Not only did it contain a strong magical power, white ink adorned the tip of the brush, never drying. "The erasing of history is possible."

The implications of this action slowly sank in. "If the recent events never happened, the worlds would not have become unbalanced…" Marche realized.

"The crystals would not have been destroyed…" Ritz continued.

"And we would never have gone to Ivalice," Mewt said. Everyone looked at him, horrified, as the truth sank in.

"The price of the wish is the memories of the occupants of Ivalice concerning the travelers," Yuuko voiced what was on everyone's mind.

"_Is it better to forget or to be forgotten?_" quoted Montblanc with a sigh. "This is a heavy price, Witch of Dimensions."

Yuuko smiled, but it was not a true smile. "This is not a light wish. Discuss, look over your choices. It is not required that you make your decision immediately. Like you said, it is undoubtedly a heavy price to pay."

"What choice do we have?" Babus said rather bitterly. He wasn't happy at the prospect of being separated from Mewt for good.

"Doesn't anyone have a better idea?" asked Shara, her tone slightly desperate as they stood in a circle in the middle of the room.

They glanced at each other, and shook their heads. "We're running out of time as it is."

Montblanc took charge. "We'll take a vote. Those who agree with the Witch of Dimension's price and those who wish to find an alternate route."

After a moment of discussion, Montblanc turned back to Yuuko. "We have made our choice, Witch of Dimensions."

* * *

**_Epic cliffhanger! I hope that you aren't too mad. You probably know what their choice is, no matter how heartbreaking it is. Believe me, it was hard to make this choice._**

**_By the way, for those that don't know, this chapter is a crossover with xxxHolic. If you haven't heard of it before, I recommend reading it._**

**_Anyway, the next chapter will be the last chapter, the epilogue. Review please! I love to know what you think of this story._**


	9. Epilogue

**_About 10 Years Later..._**

Marche painted finishing touches on a clay figure. A couple of years back, he had taken interest in clay modelling and had become rather good at it. He eyed the completed model critically. It was six inches tall and balanced well on the palm of his hand. His workmanship could do with some more work, but honestly, he was much better than he had been previously. He made a mental note to remake the first model of the set.

The chiming of a clock interrupted him. He glanced at his watch, appalled that time had apparently flown as he worked. "I'm going to be late!" he yelped, dashing around the room in a frantic rush to make himself presentable.

He set the clay figure on a shelf before running out the door. The smirking green-clad thief stood next to a cheerful purple-haired viera archer, a grinning blue mage, a shyly smiling elementalist, a wise-looking nu mou white mage and a moogle black mage with a bright orange ball of fluff.

* * *

Two bangaas glaring angrily at a young human boy. Now why did that stir an ache in his heart? Montblanc wondered as he noticed the commotion in the town square.

Shaking away the strange feeling, he approached the group.

* * *

"Hey, where did Montblanc go off to? He's been away for an awfully long time," Cecille asked Elvos.

Elvos shrugged. "He'll be fine."

"I heard he went bauble hunting," supplied Basil.

"Bauble hunting?" asked Cecille, raising an eyebrow.

"Those were Bansat's exact words."

Etoile looked at Stanz. "Do you know anything about it?"

Stanz nodded. "Remember his replica of the Gigas Pendant? It was lost a while ago, so he decided to search for the real thing."

"Ah..."

They were interrupted by Krjn, a fellow member of Clan Centurio. "Time for work. We accepted a mission to Roda. Bansat chose me, Monid, Emet, Elvos, Stanz and Etoile to go. The rest will follow Bansat to Jylland. We'll meet there in time for the Cup."

The three named members got up to follow her for the mission briefing. The others wandered off in search of their temporary leader. All in all, it was a typical day for Clan Centurio. But those six felt the same thing. Someone was missing from the picture. And it was not Montblanc.

* * *

"Sorry, I'm late!" Marche panted as he sat down heavily on a chair in a coffeehouse.

Ritz shot him a humorous look. "Once upon a time, boys waited for girls, not the other way round. What is the world coming to?" she teased.

Marche grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I lost track of time."

"Working on your clay models again, no doubt. Your hands still have paint on them." Ritz rolled her eyes.

Marche tried to rub the bright green and brown paint off the back of his hand. It was futile. "I just finished the last one." He glanced up at her. "I can make one of Shara for you, if you like," he offered tentatively.

Ritz thought for a while, but finally shook her head silently. Marche understood. They both missed their respective friends but different people dealt with loneliness differently. For Ritz, she had taken Shara's words to heart and now cherished her snowy locks. Through the years, she had slowly become more confident in herself, setting Shara as a role model. 25-year-old Ritz Malheur was a young woman who sashayed through life with a sure step and confident smile.

A waitress arrived to take their order. After she left, Marche smiled at Ritz, trying to lighten the mood. This wasn't the time to immerse in memories. "So, what do you want to do later?"

* * *

Shara sat at the bar in the Prancing Chocobo, sipping a glass of ale while surveying the various people scattered around the room. One particular group attracted her attention when she spotted her old friend Montblanc. The moogle turned and caught her eye. He waved. She smiled back and nodded.

When Montblanc returned his attention to his companions, she observed them with interest. Next to Montblanc was a young boy with dark brown hair. Nearby, listening to them talk, was a girl with snowy white hair. Without apparent reason, Shara's heart twinged.

She soon recognized the girl as Adelle the Cat, a particularly well-known headhunter. But that was not the reason why Shara was feeling a sense of familiarity.

Choosing to ignore the feeling, Shara turned her back on them to focus on her drink. Almost as if in a trance, she whispered, "White hair is considered a blessing by the Viera."

* * *

Montblanc heard Luso yell out a warning but could not parry the attack in time. The mace wielded by the enemy descended upon his head and he reeled. The world spun, his vision blurred drastically. Someone let out an angry cry... Hurdy, perhaps?

As he collapsed, memories whirred through his mind. Some, he could not recall ever living through. Strange. Were they not his? But they felt unerringly familiar. He recognized his former clan members, but there were three children that he could not remember. They, especially a blonde-haired boy, appeared regularly in those memories. But they were gone in less than a second, and Montblanc could not grasp the memories.

Through a haze, he saw a figure before him, with a head of messy golden hair. Unbidden, words rose to his lips. "Kupo-po," he gasped. "Ah, old friend. Is that you...?"

The next moment, he blacked out.

* * *

Mewt Randell, school librarian, walked home slowly from work. His mind was still processing the rather shocking information that one of his students had also ventured into Ivalice. It had surprised him to find that there was more than one Grimoire but he supposed that it was to be expected. After all, history regularly repeats itself. He just hoped that Luso would not need to go through what he and his friend had.

Reaching his house, fished out his keys from his pocket and prepared to unlock the door. And froze.

A boy of about 15 dozed on the steps leading up to the front door. It was a person straight out of Mewt's treasured memories. But how could everything be the same? The white hair with hanging sideburns even looked the same length. He rubbed his eyes, wondering if it was a hallucination. Nope, still there. This was beyond weird. It was impossible.

The boy shifted and awakened. Mewt found himself staring into bright blue eyes that widened at the sight of him.

"I'm sorry that I'm late, my prince."

Mewt gasped and ran towards Babus, feeling like a child again. He caught his old friend in a tight hug. "How?"

"Before she erased the contents of the Grimoire, I requested an audience with the Witch of Dimensions. She agreed to let me retain my memories. The price was time. I could only return to this world when a portal between worlds is once again created. I didn't know when that would happen but I decided to take the risk. I just couldn't bear not remembering."

"Babus..."

"I live to serve you, Prince Mewt. I would not wish for anything else but to be able to stay by your side."

Mewt smiled fondly. The world changed but Babus remained the same. It was reassuring in its own special way. "Well, come into the house then. Naturally you'll be living here from now onwards." Mewt unlocked the door and turned to smile at Babus. "Welcome home."

* * *

_**Finally, it's over! I hope that you enjoyed the ride. It was fun writing this. Please review!**_

**Note: I made many references to Final Fantasy Tactics A2, but it was wholly based on information from wikia. If I misunderstood something, you can tell me.**

**Just a simple guide for those who never played it:**

**1) Montblanc was the leader of Clan Centurio but joined Luso Clemens' clan late in the game. The other canon members of Clan Centurio are Krjn, Ma'kenroh, Tomaj, Monid, Bansat, Ktjn and Emet.**

**2) Adelle is a playable character in A2. She also joins Luso's clan.**

**3) The soliloquy performed by Montblanc when he is knocked out is "Kupo-po. Ah, old friend. Is that you...?"**


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